Heart is the Key towards Home (Wynonna Earp)

Chapter 9

Not knowing that his immortal heart could feel this way about the woman he let wander alone into the darkness, Doc waits anxiously for Wynonna to return. His ears listen intently for any noise; the sound of Peacemaker firing, a scream or even a "Hey baby daddy" to break the thrilling silence. Suddenly, the front door of the house swings open. An eerie creak is the only sound heard, but there is still no sign of the brunette.

Doc looks at Junior as he unholsters his pistol. "Listen young man, you stay behind me no matter what. Do you understand?" Junior nods his head and the two proceed slowly towards the front door.

As they enter the house, the old wooden floors creak beneath their feet. "Relax cowboy, there is no Freddy Kruger in this house." Wynonna says suddenly behind them, causing the two entrants to almost jump out of their skin. The brunette finds them crouched low, poised for an attack. Doc's whole body relaxes at the sound of her voice. He straightens and looks her up and down, searching for any damage. "You are still in one piece, I see." The gunslinger says, his voice full of genuine relief.

"Of course, Doc. I'm Wynonna Fucking Earp. Darkness runs away from me." The brunette tells him. She sounds more confident than she feels. Her skin hasn't stopped crawling since they entered the town, even less so when she entered the back window of the house.

Wynonna finally notices Junior hiding behind Doc, a scared and worried look on his face. "Is my grandma here?" he asks with a tremble in his voice. The Earp walks over and kneels so she is eye level with him. "No kid, the house is empty. But we'll have a look around. Maybe she left something that will tell us where she went, okay? She says, trying her best to reassure him. The utter trust in his eyes making her determined to see this though and find his grandma.

Doc, Wynonna and Junior then proceed to look around the house. Every visible surface is covered in thick layers of dust. "No movement has passed through here in quite some time." Doc states as he wipes his finger through a layer of dust on the dining room table. His fingers move over something on the table, not being visible due to all the dust. Doc proceeds to pick it up, finding a piece of paper.

Wynonna sees him pause and walks over. "What did you find?" she asks. "It appears to be correspondence left from the boy's grandmother." The cowboy answers while his eyes move over the paper.

"Junior! Come here, we found a letter." Wynonna calls to the boy. He runs over with enthusiasm, hopefulness spread across his features. "What does it say?" he asks with anticipation.

Wynonna takes the letter from Doc and lights her Zippo so she can see more clearly. She then starts to read.

"If anyone finds this, this is Nina Craven. I had to leave, there are horrible things in these woods, it's not safe here. If you are not prepared to fight, you need to leave now. If you came looking for me, I am planning to go 30 miles north to a small town called Willow Creek."

Wynonna looks up from the letter, her eyes meeting Doc's. Her own worry is mirrored back at her. She then looks over at Junior. "Listen kid, we need to get out of this town right now. But I promise you that we will find your grandmother." He nods at her words, his eyes conveying that he trusts her completely.

The trio head for the front door. Doc walks in front, his eye catches movement to the left as they exit the building. A shadowy figure appears from the treeline of the forest surrounding the house, moving in their direction. Its movements become faster with every step. I am still the fastest gunslinger in the West; Doc thinks to himself as he grabs his pistols and fire at the shadow. Next to him he sees Wynonna already aiming Peacemaker. The Buntline alight with its signature orange glow. "Get to the car now!" Wynonna shouts as she fires at the shadow. The shot seems to slow it down, but then she spots more movement coming from the forest.

One shadow becomes two and two become three, rapidly closing in on the trio as they try to make their way across the front lawn and back to the car. Only a few feet left, Doc thinks. He picks up Junior, throws him over his shoulder and runs straight towards the car. "Wynonna! The cowboy shouts.

The brunette fires a few more shots behind them, attempting to slow down their assailants. She looks over her shoulder to see that Doc and Junior are safely in the car and ready to go. She turns around and runs straight for the open window, diving head first onto the back seat. "Drive, Doc! Drive!" She shouts desperately. The cowboy didn't need to be told twice. He presses the gas and Charlene starts to move like a bat out of hell.

Wynonna turns around and continues to shoot at the unknown shadowy figures that were following the car down the road. The tyres screech as Doc takes the turn out of Devils Peak. The sun almost blinds him as they turn onto the road toward Willow Creek, finally escaping the darkness.

"They are gone Doc. Looks like they can't leave the town." Wynonna says breathlessly as she continues to looks back at the unexplainable darkness. The cowboy's shoulders seem to relax slightly, but he is still very focussed on getting them as far away from that hell hole as possible.

"What the actual fuck was that? Wynonna asks with a sigh as she falls against the backseat, her body finally relaxing from the adrenaline rush.

"I have no knowledge of any creatures that move in that manner." Doc says. When they are far enough from the danger he finally slows down and pulls over at the side of the road. He turns to look at the boy in the passenger seat. "Junior, are you alright?"

Junior is staring into the nothingness in front of them, a blank yet shocked expression on his face. He tries to speak, but can barely make a sound. When he finally finds his voice again, he says "Wh..Wha what was that?" His voice is shaking and weary.

Doc looks in the rear-view mirror at Wynonna, who just shrugs. Neither of them knows how to answer the boy. If they tell him the truth, would he even believe them? Or will he think they are insane and try to run away? Lying is not an option though. The kid just saw everything.

Wynonna finally decides to take the lead. "We don't know kid, something very strange is happening in that town." She tells Junior as she puts her hand on the boy's shoulder. "What is important now is that we find your grandmother." At the mention of his grandmother and Wynonna's reassuring voice he relaxes slightly, feeling safe and hopeful despite the terrifying events of the day. "Yes, please let us find her." Junior says as he looks at back at Wynonna. The trust in his eyes again taking her aback. I can't disappoint this kid, she thinks determinedly.

Turning her gaze back to the cowboy she asks "Doc the letter said 30 miles north to a town call Willow creek, have you heard of it?

"I do recall seeing the name on a sign a few miles back." Doc says as he points back in the direction where they came before entering Devils Peak. "We should head back to that filling station and then travel north." The cowboy says as he starts Charlene's engine again.

They turn around and head back to the gas station, making sure to stay far away from the road leading to Devil's Peak. "May Willow Creek please be a peaceful town." Wynonna mutters quietly as she falls back into the seat and closes her eyes.